Dodgers’ reception in Seoul puts Padres’ to shame (but Dave Roberts got egged)

The Dodgers boarding a flight for Seoul, South Korea yesterday might've only been the second most exciting instance involving Shohei Ohtani and a plane over the past few months, but it does mean that real, consequential baseball is so close we can almost taste it.

Even the team getting on the plane was cause for excitement, as Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, made their first public appearance together since his surprise Instagram post announcing his marriage. When the Dodgers arrived at Incheon Airport, they were greeted by a swarm of fans, most for Ohtani, but many yelling to get Mookie Betts' attention or holding rather adorable pictures of Freddie Freeman.

Compare the fanfare for the Dodgers to the greeting the Padres got, which seemed...significantly more muted. Former KBO star Ha-Seong Kim got a little more excitement out of the onlookers, but nothing could've compared to the absolute A-list reception that Ohtani and the Dodgers received.

One hiccup in the Dodgers' arrival, though: a fan in a Dodgers jersey evidently tossed an egg in Dave Roberts' direction. It sailed by him harmlessly and didn't seem to be thrown with any malice, but it was a particularly bizarre incident that local authorities are apparently investigating.

Fans rolled out the red carpet for Dodgers' Seoul Series arrival, not so much for the Padres'

The Dodgers will play their first exhibition game on Saturday at 8:00 PM PST, against the KBO's Kiwoom Heroes. After an off day, they'll face Team Korea on Monday at 3:00 AM — Ohtani's first rematch against the historical rival of his Team Japan. The official Seoul Series will take place between March 20-21, both matches at 3:05 AM, with Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected to make the Game 1 and Game 2 starts respectively.

Despite the fact that the Dodgers will play three more spring training games against the Angels when they get back to the States, these Seoul Series games mark the official start to their season and will give us a real look at how the Dodgers will perform in high-pressure scenarios. They might even see the Padres' newest ace in Dylan Cease at some point this series, which could add to an even more exciting week ahead.